


awoken by grief, our spirits speak

by BisexualSpies



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Established Keith/Lance (Voltron), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Halloween, Keith and Lance are zombies, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Zombie Apocalypse, and they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27337534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BisexualSpies/pseuds/BisexualSpies
Summary: Every Halloween night, a tradition is reborn. A tradition created centuries ago by a forlorn widow - a forlorn witch - desperate for their lovers' return.It goes that sometime during the 19th century, the witch's husband passed away due to a deadly disease. A disease that the man had been hiding from his wife. The witch was so saddened and angry by his death, so torn up with grief, that she cursed the land around her. She cursed that on every Halloween night that followed her husband's demise, the dead would once again rise. But not just any dead.Those that rose had to be truly and irrevocably in love.Keith and Lance were apart of that group. And this is the story of their Halloween night, a memory of their love and their life.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 66





	awoken by grief, our spirits speak

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning for mild depictions of death, murder, violence and homophobia. If these topics make you uncomfortable, please be careful.

Every Halloween night, a tradition is reborn. A tradition created centuries ago by a forlorn widow - a forlorn witch - desperate for their lovers' return.

It goes that sometime during the 19th century, the witch's husband passed away due to a deadly disease. A disease that the man had been hiding from his wife. The witch was so saddened and angry by his death, so torn up with grief, that she cursed the land around her. She cursed that on every Halloween night that followed her husband's demise, the dead would once again rise. But not just any dead.

Those that rose had to be truly and irrevocably in love.

The townspeople all believe it to be a folktale, a scary story to ensure the children of the town don’t stay out too late trick or treating. No one truly believes that it could be possible for such a tale to be true.

There’s no way for it to be. Witches don’t exist. Zombie’s definitely don’t either. Therefore, there is no possible way that every Halloween night, lovers who have long since passed return to the world of the living to rekindle the flame that death stole from them.

_

October 31st, 2018

Children were roaming the streets, dressed up in the latest Halloween apparel: sheets resembling ghosts, fangs far too big to fit in their mouths, fake blood dripping from ripped clothing. There were teenagers wreaking havoc, stealing candy from innocent boys and girls, and throwing toilet paper across lawns not belonging to them. And in the graveyard, mere kilometers away from the unsuspecting civilians, the dead were rising.

Hands were tearing through muddy ground, heads sprouting out and taking in a breath they hadn’t had in years. They were yearning, crawling along the ground in search for their betrothed.

That’s where Lance McClain was.

Halfway out of the ground, scouring the area for his cariño, his love, his life. All the gravestones looked the same, and all the other zombies popping out all over the place made it difficult for him to find him. Find Keith Kogane.

He pulled his way out completely from his designated deathbed, standing shakily, using his own grave as support. He scoured the area. He knew from past experience that his lover wasn’t too far, they had been experiencing this strange tradition for at least a few decades now, ever since the night of their deaths when they were brutally murdered all because of their love.

The waiting game didn’t last long, Lance spotted Keith running as fast as he could in Lance’s direction after a few moments. Keith always did pick up the whole being alive thing much quicker then Lance did. Lance always needed a few minutes to find his bearings... But Keith? He was a natural at coming back to the living… even if he didn’t have a heartbeat and his skin was like ice. Naturally gifted, as per usual.

The man was in his arms in a flash, face crashing into Lance’s chest and arms looping around his waist to hug him for the first time in a year. Lance chuckled at his ministrations, returning the sentiment by bringing his arms to clutch around Keith’s skull, fingers brushing through that oh so hideous yet oh so adorable mullet.

“Careful cariño, we don’t want my head to pop off like it did the last time you squeezed me this hard.” Lance remarked, a teasing lilt to his strained voice.

It brought a laugh to burst out of the shorter boy, who just squeezed harder and squished himself further into his lover’s chest, seemingly not caring about the possibility of another disembodiment. “Shut up.”

His voice was muffled and no less strained than Lance’s own. 

Neither boys seemed to care that their throats ached from disuse and their bones were as brittle as glass. They couldn’t so much as mind when they finally had their entire world back in their arms.

Lance could never be more grateful for this strange, yet amazing, tradition. If he was able to he would thank the witch that created it a thousands times over. Thank her for giving him the opportunity to live once again, to experience life with his amazing, beautiful, perfect boyfriend, even if only for a night.

“Come on, I want to take you somewhere.” Lance whispered, breath tickling against Keith’s ear, making the boy shiver. Keith took a step back, as far away as he could get when they were still holding each other tight, and raised his eyebrow at the boy in front of him.

“I’ll never understand why you always act like I don’t know where you’re taking me. It’s the same place every time.” Keith spoke. He was clearly trying to remain passive, but Lance could read the boy well enough to tell that the lilt in his voice was nothing but fond exasperation.

A smile broke out on Lance’s face. He couldn’t help it, he loved this boy so much. Even if he did always ruin his surprises. “Could you at least act like you aren’t aware?” Lance faux-whined.

It caused the other boy to puff out a small laugh and relinquish his grasp around Lance’s waist, instead bringing his hand down to his palm to link their ice-cold fingers together. They stared at one another for a moment longer before Keith tugged at Lance’s hand, pulling him along.

“Come on, you wanted to show me something.” Keith’s voice fell like a whisper into the night, designated for Lance’s ears only. 

They trailed their way through the graveyard, stepping over half-buried carcasses as they went. The golden, ornate gates of the cemetery silently cheered the boys’ exit as they shined in the moonlight, almost as if they were giving the couple a teasing smile and a wink goodbye. 

The pair walked hand in hand down the cobbled lanes of the small town, smiling at passersby and giving their thanks whenever someone complimented the pair on their “amazing costumes”. Lance had always found it so hilarious that no matter how truly dead the two of them looked, no one seemed to legitimately believe that they were zombies. He couldn’t count the amount of times people had been stunned into silence by their impeccable ability to look dead when they obviously weren’t. 

If only they knew that they weren’t alive. What would happen if someone actually found out. Would there be screaming? Crying? Would they try and force them back to death and chase them with sticks of fire and pitchforks? It’s a funny thing to imagine, at least for Lance. Keith was always a tad too cautious about this entire thing, especially when they had risen for the first time.

Lance could still remember the way Keith stayed clutched to his side as they walked through the streets for the first time since death, one hand grasping onto the tatters of his shirt and the other prepared to whip out his blade at the sight of danger. It was adorable. Keith was so fucking adorable to Lance, every single little thing he did was just cute.

Cute or sexy or beautiful. 

Even in death, Keith was the most gorgeous person he’d ever seen. It didn’t matter that his skin was sickly and pale. It didn’t matter that the red of his lips had long since vanished. It didn’t matter that his hair was a matted mess and his clothes ripped to shreds. He was still the epitome of beauty. At least in Lance’s eyes.

Lance didn’t even realise when they had made it to their destination, far too distracted staring at the profile of his beloved. It seems as though Keith had been aware of the eyes on him and Lance’s clear lack of attention to their journey, as he had taken it upon himself to guide the boy to the “surprise”. 

“We’re here Lance. I’ve closed my eyes for you, just like you always ask me to.” the shorter boy whispered, his words getting caught up and tangled with the wind. It was crazy to think that this tradition had happened enough times for Keith to know exactly what Lance would want him to do. He always asked Keith to close his eyes before the surprise came into their view. It was a little something that had begun all that time ago... when they were still alive.

Lance looked around the picturesque setting in front of them. It wasn’t anything too special, only a picnic table nestled under a lantern-dorned willow tree. It wasn’t anything too special. 

But it was everything and more to the pair of boys.

It was where they first met. It was where their friendship blossomed. It was where they shared their secrets and memorised the bumps and curves of each other’s bodies. It was where they had their first kiss and their first date and their first everything. It was the only place the boys could go to express their love for one another.

And it was the place they never made it to on the night of their deaths.

Instead, their bodies were left entangled together in an alleyway a few blocks away. They shared their last breaths together in that moment, and their last kiss before the two of them completely bled out on top of one another. Lance could still sometimes feel the knife splitting his flesh apart. He could still remember the exact way Keith stared into his eyes, fear and love mixing with one another amongst his beautiful, violet eyes. 

They never made it to the tree that night. They were mere minutes away from their sanctuary, minutes away from eloping and running away together into the night. Minutes away from everything they had ever craved. 

Who knew so much could be ripped away so quickly by an angry, prejudiced man with a knife? Who knew their love for each other determined whether they deserved to live or die?

Lance shook his head to rid the thoughts from his mind. This wasn’t the time to be recollecting on such an awful night. Tonight was their night, their special night, and it won’t get ripped away from them again. Lance took a step forward, and another, and another, pulling Keith with him the entire way until they stood under the low-hanging leaves. 

Keith still hadn’t opened his eyes.

Lance let go of his hand, kneeling down onto one knee in front of the boy of his dreams, pulling out the ring that he’d kept in his pocket since the previous year.

“Open your eyes, darling.” His voice was shaky as he spoke, nervous no matter how many times they had come here and done this exact same thing. Keith’s eyes unveiled themselves, blinking as they got used to the light surrounding them.

The golden glow of the lanterns danced through the boys eyes, he looked ethereal. Like an angel. He was an angel.

Keith’s eyes focused on the boy kneeling down in front of him, golden engagement ring in hand, and a smile broke out on his angelic face. Lance would never get used to the sight. Keith’s smile brought butterflies into his belly and made his heartbeat race. He wasn’t even supposed to have a heartbeat but damn, Keith’s smile must really mess with his emotions.

The ring fit perfectly, adorned on Keith’s left hand like it was destined to be there. Lance stood back up from the ground, hands coming up to frame Keith’s face. “You’re beautiful, my husband.” 

The words were uttered no more than a few millimetres from the boys lips, an almost kiss before a very real kiss. Their non-existent breaths mingled together for a second longer before their lips met.

The kiss felt electric, like every nerve-ending in Lance’s body was coming alight, like his heart was beating a mile a minute, like he was alive. It felt like that alleyway catastrophe never happened, like it was still that night and they had actually made it. It felt like they were about to split from this kiss and run together, hand in hand, through nature until they didn’t have to worry anymore.

This kiss was everything.

It was a reminder that, even in death, they don’t part. It was a promise that every year they’ll meet again. It’s a goodbye to life. It was a “fuck you” to their killer. It was a kiss. 

Keith pulled away first, not escaping too far as he caught his breath. “The nights barely over sharpshooter, let’s have an adventure.”

Their laughs echoed around their hideout and beyond as they ran out back into the night to truly experience their one night of life. They were clinging onto each other as they ran, hands clasped together seemingly as if they were one being. They might as well have been with the way their eyes were always drawn to one another, and in the way their pulses synchronised; even when dead, and in the way they experienced life and death together, as one.

They were back in the open again, surrounded by joyful trick-or-treaters and their exhausted parents. They could see the Halloween carnival a few streets away, the lights from the many rides lighting up the sky in a painting of reds and blues and purples and every combination of colours you could imagine.

It was obvious that both of the boys were desperate to attend the carnival as their eyes met, sharing that same excited gleam. The eye contact was just as electric as their kiss and it set the boys off into a swift sprint, faster then they’d run all night.

Faster then they’d run any of these Halloween nights.

Their brittle bones weren’t used to the pressure, Lance was almost scared their legs were going to snap in half. He couldn’t seem to care too much though when he had never felt more alive. 

The wind hitting against his face was exhilarating, making him want to run even faster. He felt like he could just keep running and running and never lose his breath. Actually, he could. He was dead. He can’t lose his breath, it’s already gone.

He literally could keep running forever. He would love to just keep running, hand in hand with the man he loves. They could do it. They could just keep running.

Suddenly, they stopped. 

Well, Keith stopped and Lance ran straight into his back, almost knocking the two of them over. They had arrived at the carnival; Lance had forgotten that they had a destination in mind. He was so lost in all the possibilities.

Keith turned to him, eyes alight with anticipation.

“Let’s live tonight.” his voice made excitement course through Lance’s body. He had never been more ready to live.

“You got it, baby.”

Hand in hand, they walked into the carnival, taking in all the lights and all the rides surrounding them. There was so much - too much - for them to do in just a night. Lance, as he stared up at the glistening lights mixing with the stars, wished that they could have all the time in the world.

Keith pulled Lance towards the nearest Carnival game, a shooting range of sorts decorated with stuffed animals of all shapes, sizes, and colours. Keith was staring in awe above them as they arrived in front of the booth, eyes concentrated on the huge, red hippopotamus hanging from the roof. 

Lance now gets why he was so eager to play this game. The taller boy stepped forward, pushing his sleeves up with an air of confidence surrounding him. He picked up the rifle that was laying on top of the table, holding it up with ease as he aimed and fired.

The fake bullets hit each and every one of the targets without any issue. Lance had always been good at shooting, his papa had taught him when he was younger and he was automatically a natural.

The attendant stood there, previously unbothered and pouty, now slack-jawed and staring. His mouth fell open and closed over and over again at a loss for words.

Lance rested his arm around his husband’s shoulders after putting the rifle back where he had found it. Using the hand of the arm wrapped around Keith, Lance pointed upwards towards the red hippo. It was given to them quickly, the attendant still shocked beyond belief.

The game was probably rigged to be fair, so their shock wasn’t too surprising. It felt quite nice actually; definitely felt nice for Lance’s ego.

Keith yanked the plushie from the man's hands, pulling it towards him with more excitement then seemed physically possible. Lance couldn’t look away. Keith looked so soft right now, he was glowing with pure happiness, stuffed animal squished against his chest in a tight embrace.

Absolutely adorable.

Lance was going to die. He was going to keel over and die.

Again….

_

It was getting later and later, the Carnival was almost completely empty save for Keith and Lance, a few other groups of teenagers, and the poor attendants that still had to wait around for everyone to leave.

The two zombies had spent the night absolutely thriving. Absolutely living. They went on the rollercoaster and even the teacups, and they played all kinds of Carnival games, viciously trying to beat their other halves. 

They were currently on the ferris wheel. Keith had been looking out at the night sky the entire time, red hippo still clutched in a deadly grasp, and Lance had been staring at Keith. His eyes were just as beautiful as the night sky, maybe even more beautiful. He felt breathless.

He was breathless.

He wanted to spend every moment staring at Keith and getting lost in Keith and loving Keith.

He wanted to stay living with Keith.

Maybe he could.

Maybe if he just opened his mouth and said everything he’s been thinking tonight, everything he’s been thinking all of these nights. This idea has been stuck in his brain for generations and now maybe it could become true. If only he were to open his mouth and speak.

Lance just open your mouth. It’s not that hard. Just /say/ it.

“Keith-”.

“Lance-”

“Oh sorry.”

“Um.”

“You go.”

“No, no you go.”

“Keith, babe, baby, angel, love of my life… You go. I insist.” Lance couldn’t help the wide grin on his face. The interaction was just too funny and too cute. Especially with the way Keith’s cheeks had taken on a rosy tint, a replica of the hippo’s colour. 

Adorable.

“I wish we could do this forever.” Keith said, head downcast in an attempt to hide himself behind his bangs. 

This is your chance, Lance.

Keith just gave him the best opportunity possible to bring up the thought that had been pestering him for decades. It was time. 

“We could.” 

Keith’s head popped up from its previous angled-down position, head tilting and eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

Lance tore his eyes away from the beauty in front of him to instead stare out at the view below them. The world is so far, so wide, it just keeps going. If he, if they, just kept running and running together, they could get so far their little universe of death no longer existed.

“Who says we have to go back to being dead? There’s no rules to this, we could just stay out, not go back to the dirt. We could exist together. Forever.” he started off quiet, but as he continued to voice his opinion it got steadily louder. It almost sounded like he was giving a speech.

Keith was still staring at him. Lance could feel the eyes on the side of his face, he refused to look back. He didn’t want to see the face Keith was making in fear of it being anything but the look of agreement.

What if this is what inevitably drew them apart rather than push them closer? What if Lance had just ruined it like he ruins everything else? Keith probably liked it like this. He probably liked how they were able to experience one night a year of living. He probably liked the certainty of it all, that no matter what they’ll still get to see one another.

This… this… thing that Lance just asked for isn’t certain. It could end it all. 

“Lance. I-”

Oh no. Oh God no. Oh fuck. 

Lance had fucked it. Lance knew that tone of voice. Lance knew that that was the voice Keith used when he was about to let him down easy. He was going to tell him that it’s not a possibility, that it won’t work, that he doesn’t want it like that.

“I would love to do that.” 

He would love to do that. 

He would love to do that… But.

There’s always a but with these types of things. There’s always something standing in their way. There’s never any certainties for them. They were destined for a life of yearning, a life of wanting something more. But… 

But they’re never going to get it.

Because a life of love wasn’t for them. They were soulmates through and through… The world just didn’t happen to see it the same way they did. They were soulmates… But only in their own eyes.

“But you know we can’t.” There it is. The but. Keith’s voice was filled with so much sadness as he said it, it physically hurt Lance to hear it.

They both wanted this. They both wanted to run away from this town. They both wanted to live out the life stolen from them. But neither knew the repercussions. Something could go wrong, the tradition may break, they may die and stay dead forever.

Lance squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel tears forming behind his eyelids and he was desperate for them to stay there. He didn’t want to cry. This night was supposed to be their time to live and experience all the joys of life, not to get all mopey.

He refused to let Keith see him like this. Not tonight.

Suddenly, there was a hand resting softly against his cheek, tilting his head to look in Keith’s direction. If he just opened his eyes he would be eye to eye with the love of his life. But he couldn’t, for if his eyes even cracked open the slightest bit, it would be like a waterfall. 

He would flood the whole carriage.

“Please, darling, open your eyes for me. Let me see you.” the pain and the hurt grating from Keith’s throat sounded like it ached to speak. It sounded like his throat was getting cut to pieces by the words, it sounded like Lance was the reason for it.

Slowly, slower than he’s ever done anything in his life, he opened his eyes. He showed Keith everything. He showed him the waterfall and he showed him how he felt. He showed him the way he yearned for more. He showed him just how much he loved him. He showed Keith that he wanted to be with him forever, to spend eternity in each other's arms.

And Keith saw. He not only saw, he watched. He watched with sadness and anticipation. He watched with that same yearning, that same hope for more.

They needed more.

They needed more than a life in a grave. They needed more than one night a year.

Forever is what they needed, and they decided together, that forever is what they were going to get.

No words had to be spoken. The way they looked at each other spoke enough words for a lifetime. They understood each other. They knew what they were doing tonight.

The ferris wheel went around a few more times before it settled the pair at the bottom. They stepped out, eyes shining with fallen tears and hands clasped together, ready for their new adventure.

The journey was silent as they walked. 

They walked out of the ferris wheel, past the shooting game, and out of the Carnival. They walked along silent streets, decorated with orange lights and fake spiderwebs. They walked and they walked and they walked until they made it all the way back to the graveyard.

They stared at the golden gate and said their last goodbye to death. 

And they kept walking. 

They were walking into the unknown, they knew that. There was no way for them to tell whether they would survive this. There was no way to tell whether this would make them live forever or whether it would kill them. But it was worth finding out. It was worth the possibility of forever with one another.

And if it resulted in death, then at least they knew they were bound to find one another again. They’ll always find one another.

They were soulmates after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this lil halloween fic!! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Zombie Klance fics are something I didn't know I needed until I wrote one ahaha!!
> 
> Kudos, comments and shares are much appreciated!!


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